Welcome to the Institute of Deep Time Terrestrial Ecology website!

The Institute of Deep Time Terrestrial Ecology, Yunnan University is officially founded in December 2016. It is the only academic institution specialised in the studies of palaeobotany, vertebrate palaeontology and terrestrial palaeoecology in Southwest China.

The institute is engaged in basic researches in palaeontology and stratigraphy and in public science communication, and is also an open platform for visiting researchers and collaborations. It is equipped with modern observational and analytical facilities for studies of fossil and sedimentary rock, a large collection of fossil specimens and a superb library treasured with long time collection of literature in our specialty. We are interested in international academic exchange, research collaboration and cooperation in graduate education.

We pay particular attention to train next generation of researchers via the graduate student programs for MS, PhD, as well as via the postdoctoral training programs, which are open to applicants throughout China and from other countries.

The current active research topics of the institute include systematic taxonomy of various fossil groups, the origin and evolution of land animals, the end-Permian extinction events and its aftermath recovery and radiation of life forms, and the systematic and evolution of important plant lineages (ginkgos, cycads, conifers and ferns), interactions between plant and insects and their coevolution, reconstructions of land- biodiversity and environmental changes through the deep geological time based on fossil record.